Getting around Geneva: public transport, passes and taxis

Geneva is small and the public network is dense, so the choice is usually between a day pass and your own feet. Taxis make sense only for late nights, heavy bags or a fixed appointment.

Geneva runs on a zone system. Almost everything a visitor wants — the old town, the lakefront, the UN quarter, Cornavin station and the airport — sits in zone 10, so one zone-10 ticket usually covers the whole stay. Tickets are sold at machines at tram and bus stops, at station counters, in the TPG app and at some kiosks. Validate paper tickets before boarding; inspectors do check and fines apply.

A single ticket is valid for a set time rather than a single ride, so you can hop off and back on within the window. If you will make more than three or four trips in a day, a day pass is the better buy, and 3-day and 7-day passes lower the daily cost further. Children travel at reduced rates, and there are family and evening options worth asking about at the counter.

Before you buy anything, ask your hotel or hostel about the Geneva Transport Card. Many places issue one free to guests for the length of the stay, which covers the same network. It is the single easiest saving in the city, and staff sometimes forget to offer it unless you ask.

Trams are the fastest way across the centre and run frequently from early morning until after midnight. Lines 12, 14, 15 and 18 link the station, the old town edge, the lakefront and the international quarter, so most visitors never need a bus. Buses fill the gaps to suburbs, hospitals and the UN area, and night services are thinner, so check the last departure if you are out late.

The airport sits on the same network: trains run from Geneva Airport to Cornavin in roughly seven minutes, and a zone-10 ticket is valid. If you are arriving and heading straight to a hotel, this is almost always faster and cheaper than a taxi. For the return leg, allow extra time in the morning peak.

The yellow mouettes are small passenger ferries that cross the lake between the two banks. They take regular TPG tickets, run frequently in daylight and turn a simple crossing into a short, cheap trip. Larger lake cruises to Lausanne, Nyon, Yvoire and Montreux are a different service with their own fares and a reduced winter timetable.

Geneva is flat along the water and the lakefront paths are good for cycling, with self-service bike share and rental shops in the centre. E-bikes help with the climb up to the old town and the international quarter. On foot, the old town to the lakefront is 15–20 minutes, and the centre is compact enough that walking often beats waiting for a tram.

Taxis are metered and reliable but expensive; a short hop across the centre is roughly CHF 15–25 and the airport run CHF 35–50 (2026 estimate). Uber and Bolt operate in the city and are often a little cheaper, though surge pricing at peak times can erase the difference. Both are best reserved for late nights, heavy luggage, or an appointment where being late is not an option.

If you take a taxi, use official ranks at the station, the airport and main squares rather than accepting a street offer. Card payment is normal in taxis, but confirm before you set off if it matters.

Budget roughly CHF 10 a day per person for transport if you buy day passes, less if your accommodation issues the free guest card and you walk the centre. A taxi-heavy day can easily pass CHF 40. Prices below are 2026 estimates; confirm current fares with TPG.

Validate before boarding and keep your ticket: inspectors board without warning and fines are not cheap. Machines at smaller stops sometimes only take coins or cards, so keep a little change or use the app.

Sunday and evening service is thinner on buses; trams on the main lines keep running. If you are out late, check the last connection rather than assuming a tram every few minutes.

For anything outside zone 10 — CERN, the French border, lake villages — buy the right zone or an add-on, or you risk a fine on a valid-looking ticket.